Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie to end their 25-year marriage

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos are heading for divorce, ending their 25-year marriage, said the couple in a joint statement on Twitter.

Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest person with a fortune that has soared to more than US $ 160 million and he is still the largest shareholder by far owning 16.3 percent of its shares, according to company statement. He also founded space company Blue Origin and bought The Washington Post during the course of his 25-year marriage to MacKenzie.

The decision to head for divorce comes after a trial separation.

“As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends. We’ve had such a great life together as a married couple, and we also see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures.” – Twitter post signed by Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos.

Because the couple was married before Amazon was founded, it’s likely that MacKenzie Bezos who is a novelist, holds a large claim to this fortune, though it is still unclear about where the couple files for divorce and if they had a prenuptial agreement.

The couple owns a home in a Seattle suburb within the county. Jeff Bezos also bought a mansion in a swanky Washington D.C. neighbourhood last year for US $ 23 million. They have four children.

Amazon’s stock edged up US $ 2.84 to close at US $ 1,659.42 which takes the market value of the e-commerce giant to US $ 811 billion. That makes Amazon bigger than any other publicly traded company in the US.